Manic Street Preachers, Leeds March 2014, by Danny Payne

Manic Street Preachers, Leeds March 2014, by Danny Payne

Manic Street Preachers, Leeds March 2014, by Danny Payne

Manic Street Preachers, Leeds March 2014, by Danny Payne

Manic Street Preachers, Leeds March 2014, by Danny Payne

Still delivering thought-provoking anthems of utmost quality, Welsh trio Manic Street Preachers played Leeds’ First Direct Arena on March 28th – and Clash was there to shoot them.

The band – James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore – has been an active concern since the mid-1980s, and while not-quite-founder member Richey Edwards’ disappearance in 1995 naturally affected the band’s momentum, if anything they came back stronger after the loss: 1996’s ‘Everything Must Go’ marked both compelling creative rebirth and the band’s greatest commercial success.

Their Leeds date saw material from their forthcoming 12th studio album ‘Futurology’ debuted, including the set’s title-cut and another song called ‘Europa Geht Durch Mich’. Alongside these brand-new offerings came shadows of their past – ‘Black Dog On My Shoulder’ was played live for the first time since the late 1990s – and a clutch of fan favourites: ‘Faster’, ‘Motown Junk’, ‘You Love Us’ and, of course, the stirring ‘A Design For Life’, which closed the show.

Check out Clash’s gallery above (click each photo to switch to the next). All photos by Danny Payne (website).